Announcement of ICC Public Meeting to Discuss Ongoing Environmental Projects

As you may know, the State Highway Administration’s (SHA) Intercounty Connector (ICC) project includes a comprehensive package of Environmental Stewardship and Compensatory Mitigation (ES/CM) activities as part of the project. The ES/CM program comprises not only an unprecedented level of mitigation to offset those environmental impacts associated with the ICC, but also includes numerous stewardship projects designed to reverse environmental degradation in the project area caused by development that occurred prior to the construction of the ICC. The ES/CM package contains a wide variety of projects, including stream and fish passage restoration, wetlands creation and enhancement, and Community Stewardship projects such as bicycle/pedestrian trails.

The ICC Project Team is holding a public meeting for the following ES/CM projects, which are proposed near your community:

• NW-35: Northwest Branch stormwater management (SWM) retrofits, located at Naples Manor, approximately 31 acres;


• NW-39: Northwest Branch SWM retrofits, located at Long Green Drive, approximately 26 acres;


• NW-47: Northwest Branch SWM retrofits, located at Old Baltimore Road, approximately 28 acres;


• REF-10: M-NCPPC reforestation, located at Reddy Branch and Manor Oaks, approximately nine acres.

A public meeting is scheduled from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Wednesday, June 9, 2010, at Argyle Middle School (cafeteria), located at 2400 Bel Pre Road in Silver Spring, Maryland. This meeting will provide interested citizens with details about the proposed projects listed above. There will be no formal presentations at this meeting. Members of the project team will be present to answer any questions.

The SHA hopes that you will be able to attend this meeting to learn more about the proposed environmental projects. If we may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. John Sales, Environmental Projects Community Liaison, Office of the ICC, toll-free at 866-462-0020 or via email at jsales@iccproject.com.

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Statement by County Councilmember Nancy Navarro on Council’s FY 2011 Operating Budget and CIP Agreement

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 20, 2010—Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro made the following statement in regard to the Council’s tentative agreement today on the Fiscal Year 2011 Operating Budget and FY11-16 Capital Improvements Program:

Today I cast my vote on the County’s FY11 Operating Budget and the FY11-16 Capital Improvements Program. Although it was the worst budget year in Montgomery County’s history, we kept our pledge to maintain adequate reserves, treat our employees equitably, preserve our safety net as much as possible, and maintain the educational services that are the pride of our County.

But in order to create this budget, my colleagues and I had to make many difficult decisions and some important changes to the County Executive’s proposed budget. Rather than double the energy tax, we raised it by 85 percent. Make no mistake, this is a very large increase--however, many families will not see much impact due to scheduled rate reductions and this increase is scheduled to sunset in two years. I hope that as our fiscal condition improves, we can eliminate this increase.

We also had to eliminate hundreds of positions and all employee pay raises. Although the County Executive also proposed 10 days of furlough for all non-public safety employees in Montgomery County Government, I believed strongly along with my colleagues that imposing an almost 4 percent salary reduction on one-fifth of the combined agency workforce would be inequitable. Ultimately, after much discussion, we instituted 5 days of progressive furloughs for all Montgomery County employees.

While we avoided some of the very worst cuts, our residents and employees will certainly feel the impact of this budget in reduced services, an increased workload and lower pay. Some departments, including parks, libraries and transportation, took particularly large hits approaching 25 percent that will affect their ability to deliver the services our residents have rightfully come to expect. However, recognizing the importance of our public school system, we approved a final budget for Montgomery County Public Schools that amounted to only a 1.3 percent reduction from its FY10 budget, while increasing its capital budget by 10 percent. I am confident that our School Board and Superintendent Jerry Weast will institute any necessary reductions in a manner that minimizes any impact on schoolchildren. My two daughters are MCPS students and I served on the Board for five years, so I know that their education is in good hands.

Although our fiscal crisis is not yet over, I am pleased that the Council closed an almost $1 billion gap while preserving many core services including transit, public safety, health care for the uninsured poor, and education, without raising property taxes. In addition, we maintained a 6 percent reserve and approved a capital budget that funds many important road and school projects. However, rather than continue to rely on furloughs, service reductions, and tax increases, I believe we need to seriously address our structural deficit and reorganize our government so that we can efficiently deliver the services our County is known for. My priority going forward is to work to solve our long-term fiscal and structural challenges, so that Montgomery County can remain vibrant, diverse and prosperous.

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Francoise Carrier Named New Chair of Montgomery County Planning Board

planningboardChairNamed 5-18-10

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Considering Diverse Cultures – and How to Reach Them – at Next ReThink Montgomery Speaker Series

THE MARYLAND-NATIONAL CAPITAL PARK AND PLANNING COMMISSION

MEDIA ADVISORY

For immediate release:

May 3, 2010

For more information, contact:

Valerie Berton

Communications Manager

Montgomery County Planning Department

(301) 495-4600

Considering Diverse Cultures – and How to Reach Them – at Next ReThink Montgomery Speaker Series

SILVER SPRING, MD – Montgomery County is home to many diverse cultures. This week, the Planning Department’s Rethink Montgomery http://www.montgomeryplanning.org/rethink> Speaker Series will explore how members of cultural communities communicate and connect – both outside and within their communities.

On Thursday, Reemberto Rodriguez, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, Megan Moriarty of IMPACT Silver Spring, Rassa Davoodpour, a leader in the Persian community, and Tebabu Assefa, an Ethiopian community leader and activist, will participate in a panel discussion on the communication norms within groups bound by a common culture.

At the fifth discussion of the ReThink Montgomery series, panelists will be asked to reflect about how people within their cultural circle think about community connections and county planning.

In his county-appointed position at the regional services center, Rodriguez oversees policy development and the delivery of public services for the Silver Spring area. Previously, he worked as a training manager for a community building program and coordinated curriculum for the Community Leadership Institutes, a group of residents, volunteers, and partners of NeighborWorks Network member organizations. His background includes community organizing, leadership development, civic participation, community design, urban planning, and teaching at the graduate level.

Moriarty of IMPACT leads a team of staff, residents and community partners responsible for building a network in the Wheaton area and supporting residents along a continuum of leadership development and community action. Prior to her job with IMPACT, she worked for the Montgomery County Community Foundation and at the Inter-American Foundation managing grassroots development projects in Central America.

Davoodpour is a manager with the Office of Special Projects in the county’s Department of General Services who focuses on moving and expanding existing uses to different sites from a macro perspective to provide long-term solutions for public facility needs.

Actively involved in Persian communities since her arrival in the U.S. in 1979, Davoodpour served on the board for the Iran Cultural and Educational Center, which preserves and promotes Iranian culture.

Ethiopian native Tebabu Assefa works in the fine arts and communication, including development of a marketing strategy to bridge 130,000 small coffee growers of Ethiopia, organized under a cooperative union, with the global fair trade market. He also supports enterprise in the local African-American and Caribbean markets with projects such as Africa Unbound, the Ethiopian Cultural Museum of Chicago, and Greener Ethiopia, a community based tree planting program. In 2008, Assefa was awarded the community activist award by the Takoma Foundation, where he now serves as a board member and is Governor O’Malley appointee to the Governor's Commission on African Affairs.

Continuing education credits (AICP certification maintenance credits) are pending for planning professionals. Learn more at www.montgomeryplanning.org/rethink

Who:

Reemberto Rodriguez, director, Silver Spring Regional Services Center

Megan Moriarty, community organizer, IMPACT Silver Spring

Rassa Davoodpour, a leader in the Iranian community

Tebabu Assefa, an Ethiopian community leader and activist

What:

ReThink Montgomery Speaker Series – Culture

When:

7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6

Where:

Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium

8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring

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